Product Description

At 16, Californian Michelle Kwan claimed the women's World Champion crown. A bright and appealing role model for kids and adults alike, her story is one of hard work and true achievement. Four-color photos.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #476967 in Books
• Published on: 1997-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Library Binding
• 128 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8. In a direct, conversational style, this engaging narrative takes readers on a chronological journey through the athlete's life. The 17-year-old figure skater talks candidly about her life as a competitor; as a National and World Champion; and as a daughter, a sister, and a teenager. She describes the personal sacrifices that she and her family had to make early in her career and shares with her audience her sense of determination and love of competition by discussing her feelings before, during, and after various skating events. Through her motto, "Work hard, be yourself, and have fun," readers gain an honest look at this young woman. A 16-page insert of full-color photographs enhance the presentation. The glossary of skating and technical terminology is helpful for those unfamiliar with the types of jumps and spins involved in the sport. With the demand for autobiographies, books on sports celebrities, and ethnic biographies, this book will rank highly in most libraries.?Shirley N. Quan, Orange County Public Library, Stanton, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Surprising Depth from one so young
At the risk of being thrown out of the association for people far too obsessed about figure skating, I must confess I think the idea of teenagers writing autobiographies is rather silly. This year brings us the autobiographies of not one, but two teenage world champions; 15 year old Tara Lipinski's "Triumph On Ice," and17 year old Michelle Kwan's "Heart of A Champion." The surprise is not that Lipinski's book is just fluff, but that Kwan's book is rather good. I am fast approaching Dick Buttonslevel of hysteria when it comes to Michelle Kwan. So I consulted some saner, or at least less biased, minds than my own. Everyone says the same thing, for a very thin book "Heart of a Champion" has surprising depth. On the ice she leaves audiences breathless with the exquisite depth of her skating. Off the ice this book surprised many by the extent to which Kwan tries to delve into her own mind and heart. Kwan is not content to tell you what has happened to her, she does her best to explain why it happened, and what it feels like. She does not always manage to convey these things, she is after all only 17. Kwan is meticulous in detailing the many people who havesupported her and aided her career. Her book is about commitment and devotion; to family, to coach, to the sport. Beyond that Kwan is devoted to an ideal she can barely express. She says that she wants to be a "legend"; she is after nothing less than immortality. Lipinski wants to win shiny medals, Kwan wants to leave an impact on the sport that has impacted so much on her.

The Confidence of a Skater
The book tells about a girl who starts out loving to skate, and in the end she still continues to love skating. The book shows how she never gives up on something she loves so much, and even though she went through rough times she still managed to practice and do exactly what her coach told her to do.
The book was great, if you are the skating type of person, or you are more into sports. If you were a non-athletic person this book is not for you. Otherwise, the book is excellent. The way she wrote makes you wanna get up and skate with her. She has a great way of building up confidence and showing what the sport is really about. I rated the book with three stars because I don't skate and I don't know what it feels like to be a skater, but I do play a sport and can relate to some of what she writes about in the book. If you need to build up your confidence with a sport, I recommend you read this book.

Captivating and compelling biography of a champion!
Michelle Kwan completely captivates her reading audience with her geniunely honest, and uniquely compelling recount of her private and professional life. Though she does not let the audience into all her inner most self, her awesome ability to showcase a role model to people of all ages is very evident. Michelle takes the reader into her early life, family support, and rise to stardom within her sport of figure skating. She gives responsiblity for her career accolades in part to not only herself, but her family, her coach/choregrapher, her mentors: the Probst, and Tom Collins and his brother,and Brian Boitano. She reveals how it feels to win, and how she copes with disappoints. She shines within her openness and candor recounting how she inspires and motivates herself and then in so doing, inspires others to do the best one can. I recommend this book to people of all ages, and have donated this book to a local school library. I have read this book twice, and could not put it down until I finished. I own the hardback and paperback covers. Though the hardcover does not include her Olympic experience, the paperback does. This added section is short, and not as informative as I would like. But, it was written soon after her Olympic disappointment, and I am sure it was hard to write at that time. At least she gave her readers a glimpse of her experience. After reading these books, I conclude that, Michelle Kwan truly has the "Heart of a Champion", and has in turn become, the Champion of Hearts.